UP seeks to drop charges in 2015 Dadri lynching case involving Akhlaq’s killing

The Uttar Pradesh government has moved to withdraw charges against all accused in the 2015 Dadri mob lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq, a case that had triggered nationwide outrage and became a defining flashpoint in debates on hate crimes, communal polarisation and mob violence in India.

Additional District Government Counsel Bhag Singh Bhati told PTI on Saturday that the Yogi Adityanath administration has formally sought permission from the Surajpur district court to drop the prosecution.

“A letter has been received from the government regarding the withdrawal of the case against all the accused in the Akhlaq murder case. The application has been submitted before the Surajpur court and will be heard on 12 December,” Bhati said.

Advocate Yusuf Saifi, who represents Akhlaq’s family, said he had not yet been provided official documents related to the move. “I have only heard about it. I will be able to comment after examining the documents before or on the date of the hearing,” he said, adding that the family continues to seek justice nearly a decade after the killing.

Akhlaq, 52, a resident of Bisada village in Greater Noida, was dragged out of his home and lynched by a mob on 28 September 2015, after announcements from a temple loudspeaker allegedly claimed that he had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator. His 22-year-old son Danish was brutally assaulted when he tried to protect his father and later had to be treated at Delhi’s Army R&R Hospital.

Akhlaq’s wife, Ikraman, filed an FIR the same night at Jarcha police station, naming 10 people and accusing several unidentified men as well. The incident drew widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, leading to debate in Parliament, protests by writers and artists, and national scrutiny of rising mob vigilantism.

Over the years, the case has moved slowly through the legal system. Multiple accused were released on bail, and at one point, a counter-case alleging cow slaughter against Akhlaq’s family was also pursued.

The prosecution withdrawal request now places the decade-old case at a critical juncture. The Surajpur district court will decide on 12 December whether the trial will continue or be brought to an abrupt close.

With Agency Inputs